HOUSTON Rice University basketball coach Ben Braun announced Thursday the Owls have signed Omar Oraby to a National Letter of Intent.
We are excited to have Omar join our program, Braun said. He is a true post presence. He establishes great position in the low post and will help allow our players to get good looks from the perimeter. Omar has a tremendous upside as a collegiate basketball player. He is a bright student who also has a high basketball IQ.
Oraby, a 7-1, 250-pound, native of Cairo, Egypt, was one of the leading rebounders and shot blockers at FIBA s 2009 U19 World Championships played in New Zealand. Playing for the Egyptian National Team, he ranked fourth at the championship in rebounding, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game and was ninth in blocks, averaging 1.4 per contest.
Additionally, Oraby averaged 11.9 points per game and shot 53.9 percent from the field. He had double-doubles in his final two games of the championship capped by a 24-point, 11-rebound effort against Kazakhstan. He also had a 13-point, 12-rebound game against Spain during the tournament. In pool play, he led Egypt with15 points and had eight rebounds against Team USA.
Oraby s Egyptian team played in the same championship pool as the United States as well as an Iranian team which was captained by current Rice forward Arsalan Kazemi.
Oraby was also a member of Egypt s 2008 FIBA Africa U18 Championship team which won the African Cup with an 8-0 record. Oraby averaged nine points and six rebounds during the championship.
At Rice, Oraby has an interest in pursing a degree in engineering. He is the son of Tarek Saiid Oraby and Omneya Saad Gohar. His brother, Mohamed, played handball with the Egyptian National Team. He also has an older sister, Mayar.
